Poll Methodology

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' college basketball poll, with first-place votes noted in parentheses, are determined by a points system. A team receives 25 points for a first-place vote, 24 points for a second-place vote and so on through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking.

History of the Poll

The Associated Press college basketball poll started on Jan. 20, 1949. The original poll had 20 teams, with Saint Louis the first school to hold the No. 1 ranking. From the 1961-62 season through 1967-68 only 10 teams were ranked. It expanded again to 20 teams from 1968-69 through 1988-89. The Top 25 began the next season, and it has stayed at that number ever since. The AP's final poll is released after the field for the NCAA Tournament is selected.